If All Goes as Planned
by Ameryn
Summary: What happened before Eden Prime? This story follows select crew members and what their lives were like prior to life on the Normandy.
1. Chapter 1

The Sole Survivor

A few short minutes ago there had been fifty marines here. Here being Akuze, a planet that had recently been colonized, and even more recently gone silent. No word from the pioneers for weeks now. That's why the marines had come, to investigate this strange lack of communication, but the settlement was empty, and in poor shape besides. They didn't have a clue as to what had gone on here. Not until night fell. Not until nightmares come to the waking world made their grand entrance.

Bursting from the ground without warning and with the force of an explosion, they let out a piercing shriek. They were huge worm-like beasts with forelimbs resembling scythes around a gaping maw and a bright blue tongue lolling out of it. They tore into the marines like a meat grinder, gnashing and spewing some sort of acid. In mere minutes, the marines died screaming in a ghoulish, violent bloodbath. Now a lone figure remained. Somehow there had been a survivor from this massacre. That lone figure was Jayna Shepard. As she lay there with only her thoughts to keep her company, she wondered what those things had been and where they had come from.

Suddenly her mind focused, a moment of clarity. She could allow her memories to haunt her later, but for now her time was precious. She had to survive. At the present there was a bit of rubble on top of her from when one of the creatures smashed into the building she was attempting to retreat to. It had lacerated her knee but had also probably saved her life, hiding her from the monsters. Monsters? Yes, that was what they were. She crawled out from under twisted metal and surveyed the scene. Her eyes briefly lingered on the remains of her fellow marines, brave souls one and all. She would mourn later. She caught sight of a tower not far away, near the edge of the settlement. It looked like a communications tower and it didn't seem to be too badly damaged. There was a good chance she could get it working again.

_Well_, she thought, _at least I know my next step_. With pained effort she stood and began to hobble toward her goal. It seemed to take days to reach the tower but she knew it had barely been minutes. After all, the tower hadn't been far. Once inside she stopped to take inventory of herself, sitting on the floor. She was covered in a variety of cuts, scrapes, and what would soon be bruises. That wasn't a problem. Her knee on the other hand was worse than she had at first thought. The cut was deep and she might even have fractured it. Staring at the wound her mind was suddenly filled with the faces of her fellow soldiers, her friends, and she was pained at their loss. So many people she respected and cared for, all dead. _Couldn't I have done SOMETHING_, she screamed in her mind. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. _No…no there was nothing you could do_, she told herself._ You need to let this go._ She pushed all that aside in her mind and went back to survival mode. She had a single pack of medi-gel and, although it couldn't fix her knee, it could stop the bleeding enough that she wouldn't pass out.

Standing once more she looked around the room she was in. Mostly metal construction, sterile, but somebody had put a few indoor plants around to make it homey. Most of the lighting was off. A few lights flickered. Main power was obviously down and the secondary power was apparently damaged. Probably those worm-things were to blame. Elevators were going to be a no-go.

"Stairs it is" she said aloud, breaking the current silence.

She took a step forward and winced as pain surged through her leg. She had wasted too much time and her shock had worn off, letting the pain hit her with full force. The medi-gel may have brought the bleeding to a near halt but its mild anesthetic was no match for the pain caused by deep tissue injuries like the one she was dealing with. There was no mistaking that she needed professional medical attention, but she would never get any if she stopped now.

"Come on, Jayna. You can do this." She spoke aloud once more as if the sound of a voice, even her own, would somehow lend her strength.

She limped her way to the stairs. Taking a deep breath she gripped the railing tightly and pulled herself onto that first step. It was agony. Another step. Still more pain. She set her jaw and continued on. There were landings as she made her way up and at each of them there were large windows. Each time she was tempted to look, to see if she could see the field of death she had left behind, but she never did. There was no time for that now. She had to survive.

Reaching another landing, a strange but familiar sound crept into the near silent stairwell. She stopped, for only a moment, to listen. Rustling. She felt her heart beat faster, her senses grow stronger, her muscles tense. A part of her felt foolish for not even considering the possibility she wasn't alone. Slowly, she took a few steps forward, closer to the sound, closer to the threat, concentrating on the sound. She could now make out a very subtle whistling noise. Wind? Gripping the next set of railing, and readying herself for another bout of torture, Shepard began climbing the stairs again. If she kept focused on her goal, she would make it through this.

Climbing the flight of stairs still further, the sound became louder, clearer. Arriving at another landing, she turned to continue upward, only to discover the source of the dissonance: metal mangled with glass and stone, bursting from where the large windows should have been, blocking passage across the next landing. Shepard's heart sank. If she couldn't get up to the next floor, she couldn't get into the main com room. And if she couldn't get into the comm room, she couldn't send out a distress call. And if she couldn't send out a distress call…

She chose to not think about that. She wouldn't accept failure. Steadying herself as best she could, she reached out one hand. Her biotic abilities had gotten her out of plenty of tough situations before, and she trusted them to get her out of this one. The warm energy pulsed through her, traveling down through her forearm until it surrounded her hand in a radiant blue glow. Releasing, she watched as it traveled through the air straight to her target. The biotic energy encircled the rubble, giving the stairwell an eerie luminescence, and lifted the debris from the floor. The broken window being the only out-of-the-way place for the rubble to go, she motioned her arm towards it, her target following. Quickly returning to its natural hue, her former roadblock dropped with a crash to the ground below.

Shepard paused: if those burrowing worm beasts were still anywhere nearby, they certainly would have heard that, and more than likely would come to investigate. When she was assured, at least for the moment, that nothing was coming for her, Shepard carried on, finally reaching her destination. She neared the door to the main comm room. Soon she would record her message, and the Alliance Navy would send a ship to rescue her from this unspeakable nightmare. She pressed the door control to open it, but it didn't respond. Locked. Sighing as if she should have expected this, she activated her omni-tool. The orange holographic display appeared over her right forearm, illuminating the dark hallway around her. The hacking ordinarily didn't take very long, but in her frustration the time seemed to pass infinitely. Minutes went by as the program attempted to bypass the security network. The coding was obviously very advanced if her military-issued device was having difficulty. Shepard watched the interface, expecting it to be decrypting the program. Instead, she noticed it was no longer making any progress at all. The orange glow of the omni-tool began to flash a brilliant red as the decryption program shut down.

"Grragh!" She slammed a now clenched fist against the unmoving door. Biotic energy surrounded her arm again, and she hurled numerous attacks at the door in fury. The door remained unrelenting, and her rage subsided. Turning her back to it, she slid down until she sat on the cold floor. She had come so far, or so it felt, only to be locked out of the one place she needed to be. Her head hung in despair. Tears welled in her eyes as fear washed over her, the fear that she was going to die here, injured, alone, and far from home.

"Pull yourself together, Jayna. You're stronger than this." She scolded. "Just think…"

She activated her omni-tool once more, this time accessing the schematic of the building. There had to be another way into the room, no matter how unconventional. Air ducts; she wouldn't rule them out just yet, but she knew that climbing into one would be challenging in her current condition. She looked closer, hoping that another option would present itself. The comm room itself, as to be expected, had a very simple layout; a small square-like room with stairwell and elevator access.

_Elevator shaft._

Though the elevators weren't presently operational, they weren't locked either. The thought of climbing through the elevator shaft was daunting, but more easily accessible than the air ducts. Picking herself up from the floor, Shepard made her way back down the stairs one floor. She now had a clear image of the building in her mind, and approached the door of the room directly below the main comm room.

"Please don't be locked…"

She pressed the door control, expecting the same response as the previous one, but to her surprise the door opened.

"Yes!" she proclaimed and hobbled into the room. She was running on pure adrenaline now, causing her to walk at a greater pace than before. The elevator wasn't far from the stairwell door. Once she was close enough, she interfaced her omni-tool with the shaft door control. It opened easily.

Stepping to the edge, she looked down the shaft. It continued two more levels beyond this one. Although it wasn't very far, a fall would render her body useless to her. On all four walls of the shaft ran thick pipes and cables. Directly to her right, on the same wall as the open door, was a maintenance ladder. Without the use of one of her legs, climbing up one floor would take an incredible amount of strength, and she was in short supply of that. But she was so close now that giving up would be absurd.

She took a deep breath.

Grabbing one rung of the ladder with both hands, she stepped off the edge of the shaft, both legs dangling for a moment before her good leg found its footing. Dragging the dead weight of her injured leg behind her, she climbed the ladder, one rung at a time, breathing heavily and keeping her eyes on her goal.

Finally she reached the next level, with the shaft door closed in front of her. A biotic attack would be able to blast the door open from this close proximity. Locking her good leg in place on the ladder for support, she took her aim at the door, letting the power build up inside of her.

"Please work."

She released the biotic throw, and with destructive force it blasted through the metal door, hurling it into the room. Shifting her weight to her good leg once more, she forced herself up and around the newly busted hole, her wounds now howling in a cruel symphony of pain, only encouraging her need to collapse. As she lay on the cold floor, triumphant but battered, her breath echoed even after she fell silent, and once again she was forced to face the truth that she was indeed alone.

Compelling herself to stand, she walked to the comm control panel in the center of the room. Thankfully, the emergency power left the unit fully operational. She powered up the system.

A strange symbol she had never seen before was presented on the screen. It was very simple, hardly something worth noting, and yet it had her attention. It was a yellow elongated hexagon with a border on either side. Before Shepard had time to really evaluate the symbol the system had completely started up. Time to record her message.

Shepard's actions play back on a large monitor, overcast by a thick cloud of smoke in a dimly lit room. A man sits with his legs crossed; his glowing blue eyes remain the only feature not shadowed. He watches, captivated by the scene before him. The ice in his glass clinks together in a golden-brown liquor as he swirls it in one hand, a cigarette aglow in the other. He brings a cigarette to his lips and inhales slowly. Another figure, a woman, stands nearby, more interested in the man's reactions to the footage than the event itself. The man exhales a puff of smoke.

"Keep an eye on her." The man says to the woman, "She shows promise."


	2. Chapter 2

Recovery and Restlessness

Captain David Anderson walked briskly down the hospital hall. Of all the visits he had made to Huerta Memorial throughout his military career, he had never felt this worried. He had passed several rooms by now, each filled with some poor soul either dying of a terrible disease or suffering from unnecessary injury. Nurses and doctors rushed passed him, escorting patients about the wing, and families hunted for the rooms of their loved ones. Anderson's pace finally slowed as he approached the room that he himself had been searching for. Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door.

Jayna was sitting upright in her bed, her head turned towards the wide window to her left. The view was spectacular, looking out over the presidium's park-like beauty.

"I came as soon as I could." Anderson said, slightly catching his breath from his speedy walk. Recognizing his voice, Shepard turned to look at him. Till now her visitors mostly consisted of the hospital staff and Alliance brass she had never met. Hearing Anderson's deep, warm voice again was more of a comfort to her than what anyone else could offer. She mustered as much of a smile as she could manage to greet him with, but it was little more than a smirk. Knowing that she could probably read every line of worry on his face, Anderson smiled back.

Now that Shepard was facing him, he could see the clear signs of war. Her bottom lip was busted and finely stitched back together, and a large pink line ran down the pale skin of her right cheek. Along with her lacerations came a sense of loss written all over her face. Her glistening emerald eyes had lost their willful glow, a trait that Anderson had come to admire. Looking at her now, beaten and discouraged, he couldn't help but see the teenager he had met nine years ago, the young girl roaming the streets fighting to survive. It wasn't until now that it hit him; Jayna would always be fighting to survive.

Anderson took a few steps forward and sat in a comfy chair next to the patient's bed.

"Looks like the doctors fixed you up nicely." The captain said enthusiastically, motioning to her facial scars.

"Yeah," Jayna replied, adding another smirk, "With any luck I'll come out ruggedly handsome."

Anderson chuckled, not expecting the young woman to joke so casually in her current circumstance. But he knew she was only trying to act as normal as possible now.

"How are you, _really_?" he asked, letting his concern finally show. Jayna's brow furrowed slightly, and she turned towards the window again. She had no words to describe what she felt, what she had been through, or where her life was headed now. Her silence was enough of an answer for him. After what she went through on Akuze, it would take some time for her to return to her old self, if that was even possible. But now, even as he was taking the time to visit his friend, Anderson had a job to finish.

"We cross referenced your description of those…._monsters_ with the citadel databanks. I hate to ask you now, but…" he activated his omni-tool and pushed a few buttons on the holographic display, "we need a confirmation."

Shepard turned to him once more. "Alright." She said flatly. Anderson pushed another button, bringing up an image above his omni-tool. She knew it was only a picture, but seeing the beast again awakened her memories of the event. Her squad mates dying beside her, the screaming, and _all the blood_…

She closed her eyes tightly in hopes that hiding the picture of the monster would in turn rid her mind of the flashing nightmare. She felt Anderson's hand on her shoulder, reminding her that he still needed a real answer. Unable to form any words, she simply nodded her head.

"Alright." Anderson's firm hand patted her shoulder, and she heard the omni-tool shutdown, giving her a clear signal it was safe to open her eyes. "It's called a 'thresher maw'. Apparently the counsel races have had problems with them in the past. Why they hadn't warned us about them is beyond me."

"Even if they had, it wouldn't have changed anything. Anderson, we went in there blind."

"I know." Anderson tried his best to be sympathetic, but he knew there were few words that would actually help her at the moment. But just sitting with her made her feel more at ease. Of all the military superiors Shepard had dealt with, Anderson was the only one who could make her feel at home.

Home was very far from Liara T'Soni however. The young asari had studied about ancient civilizations nearly all her life, but had only been on a few digs before. However, this one certainly held the most promise, even though it was the farthest away from Thessia, her home world. She had been eager to get to work right away, despite the need to set up a camp for her and the other archeologists to stay for the coming weeks. Liara felt honored to be a part of the company on this particular trip, working side by side with some of the most recognized scientists of their respected fields. Unfortunately, nature had decided that their work wasn't nearly as important as what it felt needed to be done. A storm had swept in through the valley, leaving the team shut inside their shelter for days.

Liara did her best to occupy herself, all the while restless to start at the dig site. She tugged at the sleeves of her lab coat, the white fabric contrasting beautifully against her blue skin. The air inside the shelter was thick and muggy; a side effect of having a hand full of people in a small space for an extended time, and the whole room was filled with the melodic sound emulating a grand piano. Dr. Olena never went anywhere without her keyboard to keep her company, and she was a wonderfully talented player. Liara hadn't listened to much piano music before, but found Olena's playing to be very soothing. But even now, the aspiring scientist couldn't keep from pacing to combat her built up energy. She wanted so desperately to dig.

Olena stopped playing, and watched the young asari walk back and forth about the room.

"Liara," she said warmly. The girl stopped and turned to face the doctor. "Come and sit with me."

Liara did as she was asked. It wasn't in her nature to disobey or act resistant. She took her place next to Olena, in front of the trusty keyboard, and awaited further instruction.

"Have you ever tried?" Olena asked, nodding her head towards the instrument.

"No, I have not." Liara replied, somewhat taken aback by the doctor's question.

"Perhaps today is a good day to try." Olena smiled. She was always so gentle and soft spoken. Every word she spoke seemed precise, as if she had carefully chosen the perfect thing to say in every situation. Olena was wise in years and full of maternal love, and in many ways reminded Liara of her mother, Matriach Benezia. For this reason, if Dr. Olena asked anything of the maiden, Liara was happy to oblige.

Liara sighed and placed her blue fingers gently against the ivory keys. They were smooth and heavier than she expected, weighted to imitate the keys on a real piano. She pressed down on one, but could barely hear the note it produced.

"A bit harder than that." Olena chuckled. Blood rushed to Liara's cheeks as she blushed, feeling foolish and suddenly much warmer. But she hated the feeling of failure, and therefore forced herself to continue. With her finger on the same key, she pushed it down with a firmer stroke. This time the note was louder, so much louder in fact it startled the one who had played it. Olena laughed harder at Liara's response to her own action.

"Like this." Olena wrapped her hand around Liara's, guiding her fingers across the keys slowly, creating a beautiful melody. Letting go of the girl's hand, Olena insisted, "Now, try again."

The amateur player tried her best to copy what her instructor had just taught her, but she felt clumsy, sluggish, and out of rhythm. She was surprised to hear Olena's kind praise.

"Good, good. Try again."

Liara did as she was told, repeating the simple melody once, twice, three times more. But despite Olena's support, she still felt as if her playing barely counted as a song.

"I… I cannot play the way that you do." She finally voiced her insecurity.

"Of course not, Liara. You play the way that _you_ do." The older woman replied. Liara knew there was some wisdom tucked away in those words, but she couldn't get past what she saw as absurd. She wasn't a piano player. She would never be as talented as someone like Dr. Olena.

"But I do not understand what the point of this is, doctor." Liara stood up, growing impatient with her own lack of skill.

"Does it have to have a point for you to enjoy it?" Olena asked. Liara wasn't sure how to respond. Surely she had hobbies, things she did simply for fun, but the only pastimes that came to her mind were studying and digging.

"Why do anything if nothing is gained?" Liara posed her own difficult question, eager to hear the doctor's answer.

"And what isn't gained from this?" Olena played her simple melody once more. "A pleasant tune to lift spirits, a challenge to overcome one's own fear of worthlessness, not to mention the pride in success."

The doctor made good points. The song had put everyone else in a better mood, and it had helped Olena to pass the time. Liara stood still, looking down at the wise musician, wondering if she could see the realization hit her.

"You focus so hard on work, Liara. But there is so much more in this galaxy. You have a thousand years to indulge in it, or watch it pass you by. This lesson is better learned in your youth."

Liara sat back down next to Olena feeling ashamed. She had been so quick to reject such a simple experience, to reject Olena's teaching. The doctor only wanted to distract them both from the long passing hours of waiting.

"You are right. I…" Liara hung her head. "I am sorry, Dr. Olena. Please allow me to continue."

Olena rubbed one hand against Liara's back soothingly, and with a wide smile said "I would love to teach you more."


End file.
